Domestic animals to include livestock such as cattle, sheep, and horses must undergo periodic medical evaluations and treatments to maintain the animals in optimum health. While horses may be easier to medically examine without restraint, other domesticated animals such as cattle, are more difficult to examine and treat without confining the animal within a cattle chute.
There are a number of inventions in the field of cattle chutes for purposes of restraining animals. Many newer chute designs are particularly directed to capturing and holding the head of the animal so that a caregiver may conduct a medical examination and/or administer medications.
One principle drawback to many cattle chutes is that they are relatively expensive for purchase by many cattle growers, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, most cattle growers in those developing countries do not have access to cattle chutes that are capable of immobilizing the head of the animal. Another drawback to many cattle chutes is that an animal's natural instinct is not to be confined and therefore, the animal can be injured as it struggles to free itself from capture. Yet another drawback with many cattle chutes is the inability to administer solid or liquid medications without the use of an esophagus probe since the animal may otherwise not cooperate in opening its mouth and swallowing the medication.
One example of a prior art device for administering medications is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,593. This invention provides an esophagus probe for delivery of treatment doses of material to animals such as livestock directly into the animal's esophagus. The probe is characterized by a hook-shaped conduit that has a straightened mouth insert portion or stem, a U-shaped metal portion, and a handle portion. The mouth insert portion terminates in a delivery nozzle. The handle connects to a flexible hose which in turn connects to a containment vessel containing a nutrient or medicament material to be dispensed, such as by a pump.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,460 discloses a liquid feed injector for young animals and particularly calves. The injector includes a collapsible reservoir and a rigid probe or feed tube connected by a relatively short length of flexible tubing. A fitting or closure cup for the reservoir has an outlet nipple about which the flexible tube is attached. The flexible tube acts as a shut-off valve during manipulation for placing the tube in the animal's throat. The reservoir may be flattened or rolled during discharge of the fluid.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,898 discloses a device for orally administering treatment liquids to animals. The device comprises a hollow loop serving as a flow conduit between a container of treatment liquid and a flexible nozzle mounted on one side of the loop adapted to direct a jet flow of the liquid toward the back of the animal's throat. The loop has a geometry close to that of an equilateral triangle, the corners of which adjacent the side that carries the nozzle being rounded whereby the loop may be clamped firmly on the nose of the animal without inflicting pain.
In addition to devices that may be used to administer liquid or solid medicaments to animals, there are also a number of prior art devices that may be used to control the movement of an animal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,747 discloses an animal leg catching device for catching an animal by the leg including a pole and first and second U-shaped members. The free end of a first arm portion of the first U-shape member is inserted into a distal end of the pole. A first arm portion of the second U-shaped member is rotabably coupled to a second arm portion of the first U-shaped member at a point on the first arm portion of the second U-shaped member adjacent to cross portion of the second U-shaped member. The ends of a resiliently elastic strap are coupled to the first arm portion of the first U-shaped member such that the elastic strap forms a generally U-shaped loop. One end of a flexible cable is coupled to the elastic strap at the loop of the elastic strap. While this invention may be adequate for controlling the legs of an animal, the device does not also have the capability to administer medicaments to the animal.
While these inventions may be adequate for their intended purpose, there is still a need for a device that can be used to not only to administer medications to an animal, but also provides a means to control the animal without requiring the animal's head to be captured within a restraining assembly of the chute, as found in the more complex and expensive cattle chutes. There is yet another need to provide a manually operated restraining device that is effective, simple to use, and provides a degree of safety for both the user and the animal. These needs and other advantages of the present invention are described in detail below in reference to the device and method of the present invention.
There is also a need for a device that provides a means to first control the animal without having a user hold the device, but the device may then be subsequently used to administer medications to an animal.